


Don't Go Home Without Me

by cherryraindrops



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, high school romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:13:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8906815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryraindrops/pseuds/cherryraindrops
Summary: “That is my cue,” Luke sighs, waving a goodbye to Ashton, followed by what appeared to be a flirtatious wink. “Try not to run into any other guys today?”He’s gone before Ashton can give a witty response, but that was perfectly alright. Ashton knew it wouldn’t be the last time he’d see the Vice President, and he sure hoped their next meeting would come sooner rather than later.   or, Oil and Water, from Ashton’s perspective.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dafeedil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dafeedil/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Oil and Water](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3698048) by [dafeedil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dafeedil/pseuds/dafeedil). 



> This, my friends, has been the secret project I have been working on for MONTHS. It means the world to me, and I hope it means the world to all of you. A part 2 will be written, of course, to continue the story. 
> 
> I was given permission (and heavy, heavy encouragement) by the incredible dafeedil who first brought us the drug!verse in the first place. This is her Christmas present, and I hope that I did it justice for her. I love you Angie.

It begins the first day of junior year, when Ashton manages to find himself colliding into a broad, tall boy in the middle of the busy hallway. His glasses go soaring off of his face, and while he can see somewhat alright without them, he wasn’t about to lose yet another pair. His mother would have his head if he lost this pair, and he loved his mother far too much to upset her over something so little.

“I believe these are what you need?” a deep voice offers, and Ashton looks up from searching the carpeted floor to find his glasses folded neatly in this boy’s hands. He feels his face heat up with complete and utter embarrassment, taking the glasses swiftly from the kind boy’s hands and placing them back on his face.

The first thing he notices is he has to look _up_ to even see this boy, and the minute he peeks up his heart is fluttering endlessly. Baby blue eyes analyze him gently, the owner of them smiling at Ashton with a dust of pink on his cheeks as he holds a hand out awkwardly. “Luke Hemmings, just a small part of the student body you happen to rule.”

The boy most definitely didn’t need to introduce himself; Ashton knew exactly who he was, had awkwardly watched the boy from afar since freshman year. Luke was the one who beat Ashton out the past year for Homecoming King, was the newly elected Vice President of the National Honors Society. Ashton had made it his mission almost to get to know the boy before he graduated, before they would slip away to college and forget about each other until their high school reunion.

This wasn’t _exactly_ what Ashton had in mind.

“Ashton Irwin, but it appears everyone around here calls me Mr. President,” he introduces, taking Luke’s soft, gentle hand and shaking it. A rush of calm struck Ashton’s body at their touch, and the butterflies began to vanish from inside of him. There was a sense of safety surrounding them, calm, and Ashton didn’t want to mess it up by saying something stupid. “I was on my way to the student council meeting, actually. Will you be attending?”

A soft, melodic laugh leaves Luke’s pink lips. “I don’t believe NHS members are invited to such prestigious meetings, unless this is your way of inviting me?” He gives Ashton a flirtatious wink, one that has Ashton heating up and dusting his cheeks a loveable red.

Someone shouts for Luke from down the hall, Ashton automatically placing the name Calum Hood to their face. He’s rarely spoken with Calum, but they once had a class together last year, where Calum sat in the back playing something on his phone while Ashton sat in the front, scribbling down notes furiously. It amazed Ashton to see Luke be friends with someone like Calum, because the two were so _different._

“That is my cue,” Luke sighs, waving a goodbye to Ashton, followed by what appeared to be a flirtatious wink. “Try not to run into any other guys today?”

He’s gone before Ashton can give a witty response, but that was perfectly alright. Ashton knew it wouldn’t be the last time he’d see the Vice President, and he sure hoped their next meeting would come sooner rather than later.

You see, Ashton prided himself in knowing who everyone was within the vicinity of the high school. He was, after all, student body president. While most of the students he didn’t know personally, only by their name connecting with their face, he tried his best to make sure all of them looked at him as a friend, someone they could trust and in return, be friends with when in need. Ashton was raised to be friendly, to be kind and help others.

Watching Luke walk away, laughing loudly at something Calum has said, Ashton decides then and there that he was going to reach out to Luke and become his friend. He was slightly ashamed of himself for only knowing the boy’s face and name, never really sitting down and speaking with him. The only thing Ashton really knew about the tall boy was he was best friends with Calum Hood, and Luke was undeniably gorgeous.

And sweet.

And gentle.

And smart.

Ashton grins at his own thoughts, walking the opposite direction on his way towards the student council meeting with his heart thudding in his chest and the memory of Luke’s baby blue eyes staring back at him. He knew if he kept grinning like a fool he was bound to be asked multiple questions from his council members, all of them demanding who has made their President blush and grin like a complete and utter fool. He would tell them later, because he still had all of junior year ahead of him; who knew if this would be his only real encounter with Luke Hemmings?

**

He has his first real conversation with Luke a couple of months later, underneath the blazing hot Australian sun as he walks home from what was, in Ashton’s mind, a phenomenally bad day of school. The only thing on his mind was going home and locking himself up in his bedroom, maybe taking a long nap to forget about just how completely disastrous his day has been.

The student council meeting that morning had been awful, complete with his vice president and secretary arguing loudly to no end. He was supposed to break up their argument, be the president and settle any dispute between his council members, but all he received in return was insults towards his current ideas, leaving him feeling gloomy for the morning.

His classes all dragged on incredibly slow, completed with a discovery that he was slipping in Calculus. While Ashton was always one for studying hard, making sure that he was on top of his classes and keeping a perfect 4.0 GPA for graduation, there was something about Calculus that left him lost, confused. He knew if he didn’t fix it soon there would be no chance in hell at Valedictorian, and that was his number one goal for graduation.

The day ended with his vice president telling him that Ashton didn’t deserve to be elected president, especially since he was too kind to really dispute arguments nor bring up the hard topics that inflicted the school. It wasn’t Ashton’s fault that things were the way they were, but he felt as if the council did want him the believe such a thing. He believes that was what hurt the most; not being trusted by his student body.

He can hear footsteps behind him, growing closer and closer as their feet smack against the pavement. It sounds like running, almost like they have been trying to catch up to Ashton, who has been drowning himself in depreciating thoughts the past couple of blocks. He tears his attention away from his feet, looking to see who was behind him and nearly having a heart attack when he notices Luke Hemmings was _right there._

“Hey!” Luke chirps, a dazzling smile gracing his face and the baby blue eyes locking themselves onto Ashton. “Sorry if I scared you, I just noticed you walking alone and figured I would catch up to you, see if you were wanting a walking buddy at all?” He doesn’t even sound out of breath from running, and Ashton loathes that about him. It’s probably the only thing about the boy he could bring himself to hate, and that alone makes Ashton hate himself.

“Thanks,” Ashton tells him, hand gripping his backpack a little more and adjusting it on his shoulder. “I usually walk home alone more often than not, but I don’t mind the company.” _Especially from you._

Luke chuckles softly, keeping parallel with Ashton as they walk down the empty sidewalk. Ashton itches to reach to the side, take Luke’s free hand and intertwine their fingers together, make him feel better. For all Ashton knows, though, is that Luke could be thrown off by that, and the last thing Ashton wanted was to scare Luke away.

“Bad day?” Luke asks suddenly, his hand reaching up to rub comfortable circles onto Ashton’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen you look so down. Didn’t think it was possible for you to be anything but sunshine honestly.”

Ashton shrugs, adjusting his glasses and flicking his ridiculously long fringe out of his eyes. “The student council doesn’t think I’m a good enough president, said I can’t handle arguments and that I’m too nice to handle the big stuff. Which, I guess is true, but it’s only because I’m too nice.” He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he awaits Luke’s response. Who knows if Luke would even _care_ about his troubles? It was probably a rhetorical question.

Luke whistles lowly, shaking his head before stepping in front of Ashton, hands placed on the boy’s shoulders to stop him from walking. Ashton raises an eyebrow at the sudden stop Luke has caused, but the boy seems to have a thought on his mind, so Ashton doesn’t bother with questioning it. “One, your student council is full of hot air, honestly. You are a _fantastic_ student body president, you are full of energy and spirit that they wish they could obtain. Two, what is wrong with being too nice? I like nice.” He gives Ashton a toothy grin, one that has Ashton blushing deeply and wanting to bury his face in his hands.

“I’m also on the verge of failing Calculus,” Ashton grumbles, casting his eyes downward. “Which sucks, because I’m so close to sending out my application for University of Sydney and if my GPA isn’t _perfect_ I am never going to get into their culinary program and I would basically have to be one of those lazy, drugged out bums on the side of the road.” He huffs, looking up to see Luke with a dorky smirk on his face and his blue eyes twinkling with an emotion Ashton wasn’t quite sure how to describe. “What is so amusing to you about my distress?”

Luke chuckles again, slinging an arm across Ashton’s shoulders and walking them further down the sidewalk towards Ashton’s neighborhood. “I don’t think the University would turn you away from not having a perfect GPA. You’ve had a 4.0 your entire high school career, I think you have more than proven you are worthy of attending.” He ruffles Ashton’s curls, making the boy squeal and move from Luke’s grip with his giggle filling the air. “Also, Calculus is a breeze for me. If you would like, I could easily tutor you.”

“You would?” Ashton grins, Luke becoming a savior instantly. “That would mean the world to me, are you sure you have time? I know you have NHS and all.”

Luke scoffs, waving a dismissive hand in the air before wrapping his arm back around Ashton’s shoulders. Ashton likes his arm being there, a comforting assurance. Ashton felt as if he _belonged_ in Luke’s arms. “I can make time for you, Ash. It won’t be a bother.”

That was something Ashton wasn’t sure how to react to: he’s never had someone specifically set aside time for just him, just to spend time with him. It didn’t matter that Ashton was quite the popular guy, he still felt utterly lonely despite the company he had. None of his so called ‘friends’ ever set aside time for him, and even Ashton’s own mother rarely had time.

To hear Luke _wanted_ to make time for Ashton? It was the greatest feeling in the world.

They arrive at Ashton’s house far too soon, and when Luke’s arm leaves his shoulders, they feel incredibly _bare._ “Thanks for walking me home,” Ashton tells him, adjusting the straps awkwardly on his backpack. “And listening to me talk about my day. It means a lot to me to have someone listen.”

“I’ll always listen to you,” Luke assures him, and Ashton’s heart _soars._ “I’ll see you tomorrow at school, okay? Maybe we can do lunch and work on Calculus.” He backs away from Ashton’s front door, waving goodbye with a friendly smile as Ashton blushes, waving back before entering his house and sliding against the front door.

He was so, completely infatuated with Luke Hemmings.

**

A month passes since then, and Ashton likes to believe he has officially become friends with Luke Hemmings.

Every other day they meet at lunch outside, sharing bags of chips as Luke organizes Ashton’s mess of Calculus notes. Ashton feels he actually has been getting a better grasp at the subject thanks to Luke, and it certainly has helped his grade rise. It might help that his tutor was an attractive boy, and Ashton most definitely wanted to make said attractive boy proud.

Which is why he is practically _skipping_ down the hallway towards Luke’s locker, his recently graded Calculus test in his grip with a bright red ‘A’ circled on the top. His dimpled grin hasn’t left his face since the minute his teacher handed the test to him, and for the rest of the class hour he’s been bouncing in his seat with excitement of telling Luke.

He finds the tall blonde at his locker, speaking with Calum about something Ashton can’t quite catch, but the minute Ashton comes into view Calum is waving goodbye and Luke is spinning around, his own dimpled grin mirroring Ashton’s. _He’s too cute._ Ashton thinks to himself.

“Hey!” Luke greets him, closing his locker and leaning against the metal door, his confident exterior shining through. “How was Calculus today?”

The past few months the two of them have come to learn what the other’s schedule was like; Ashton knew that Luke has Statistics next period, was just wrapping up his free period that he spends mostly in the library helping out their aging librarian collect and reshelf books that reckless students had left out. Regardless, it still makes Ashton’s heart _soar_ to know the boy actually kept close attention to Ashton’s schedule.

Ashton doesn’t speak a word, simply handing Luke is test and trying his best to not grin too brightly. It’s hard, containing the enormous amount of excitement buzzing through his veins right now. He watches as Luke’s baby blues scan the paper closely, how his dimpled grin grows even bigger once his eyes connect with the grade at the top of the paper. Before Ashton can even react he’s being pulled into the loving embrace of his crush, Luke whispering softly in his ear, “ _I’m so fucking proud of you!”_

“It was all thanks to you,” Ashton blushes, fingers curling into the nape of Luke’s neck as they continue to hug in the middle of the hallway. His hair is soft there, and while Luke probably thinks Ashton is a fucking _weirdo_ for playing with his hair, Ashton is far too content in this boy’s embrace to truly care. “If you hadn’t taken the time to tutor me this would have been an ‘F’.”

Luke chuckles in Ashton’s ear, finally pulling away from the boy in favor of wrapping an arm around Ashton’s shoulders, leading them down the hall to chat. It takes everything in Ashton not to curl into Luke’s side comfortingly, knowing damn well he could fit in there easily. It was almost as if Ashton was _meant_ to be tucked into Luke’s side, how well he would fit. “This calls for a celebration. I was talking to Calum about possibly throwing a party to celebrate the end of the season for footy, but maybe we could combine it? Make it a ‘End of Season and Ashton kicked ass at Calculus’ party.”

Ashton snorts at Luke’s title, shoving the boy playfully. “I don’t need a huge, grand party to celebrate passing one little test. I’m already throwing an end of the year party for when I become Valedictorian.”

“ _When?”_ Luke raises an eyebrow, and Ashton blushes. “You have a lot of confidence, don’t you?” He ruffles Ashton’s dark blonde curls, making the boy squeal adorably and push away from Luke, almost falling into passing students. He blushes deeply before apologizing to a girl he nearly shoved to the ground, with Luke giggling behind his hand nearby.

“You are an awful human Luke Hemmings,” Ashton giggles, trying his best to look mad but failing miserably. “Almost making me take down an innocent bystander. You should be ashamed.”

Luke grins, dimples popping out and making Ashton melt. “I’m going to throw you a party Ash, okay? You cannot complain, and you most certainly don’t have to tell anyone it is for you. All they would have to know is that we are celebrating the end of a fantastic season of footy.” The class bell rings, Luke cursing under his breath before leaning forward, pecking Ashton’s cheek and darting down the hallway. “I’ll see you later Ash!”

Ashton watches as the boy’s long legs carry him down the hall, disappearing from view as he turned the corner towards his classroom. A part of him feels a little guilty about making Luke late for his class, but the other part continues to squeal at the still tingling sensation on his cheek, longing for Luke’s lips to return to him.

**

The ‘End of Season and Ashton kicked ass at Calculus party’, as Luke had decided to dub it, was a loud and rambunctious affair set at the Hemmings’ household. Ashton had never once been over to Luke’s house since they’ve become friends, only passing by it occasionally when he would walk home from school. It was an incredible home, large and grand enough to fit the entire student body for sure, easily. It makes Ashton nervous as he pulls up towards the house, the sleeves of his sweater pulled forward to cover his hands to prevent himself from biting his nails. Despite his status as student body president, he didn’t even feel as if he belonged at such a party at such a place. Luke’s home was somewhere that looked as if it could host a glamorous affair, not a cheap, stupid high school party.

He eventually gets out of his car, taking deep breaths to steady himself as he approaches the front door and looks around at the others hanging around outside. Most are smoking some cigarettes, laughing with plastic red cups filled with whatever was stored in the kegs located within the house. Ashton felt out of place as he pushed his glasses up his nose, wrinkling it as a sudden strong scent floods his senses.

“Well if it isn’t Mr. President himself!” a voice cheers out, and Ashton turns to notice a group of boys leaning against the brick of the house, a rolled up joint slotted between the one’s fingers. His hair is jet black, complete with deep blue fringe that lands slightly above his dark, glazed over green eyes. Ashton assumes he must already be pretty high, and his friends around him all await their turn with the joint as they stare at the boy’s hands with hungry eyes. “How about you come over here, take a load off?”

Ashton raises an eyebrow, observing the boy’s friends with a questionable glance. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t smoked weed before, because he most definitely had. It certainly helped in the past with stress, when he, as the boy had put it, needed to take a load off. The offer was all too tempting too, considering the bundle of nerves resting in his stomach.

So he shrugs, walking towards the group and watching as the boy grins at him before handing him the joint. “You’ve smoked this before, right?” he questions, watching curiously with his friends. Ashton nods, placing the joint between his lips and taking a deep hit before passing it back. Smoke billows from Ashton’s mouth in a large cloud, and his head already feels clearer than before. It’s nice, Ashton thinks.

“You have more?” Ashton asks, still slightly floating. The boy nods, a little bit of a chuckle escaping his lips and something that sounds like, ‘of course Mr. President!’ following it. He presses another rolled up joint in Ashton’s hand, offering his lighter to him with a smirk plastered onto his face.

“Michael Clifford,” the boy introduces himself, plucking the joint from Ashton’s lips and taking his own drag. “What the fuck makes perfect study body president Ashton Irwin wanna come over to us anyhow? Looking for a hookup?”

Ashton shakes his head, beginning to feel weightless as the joint takes him elsewhere: away from the party, away from the nervousness of seeing Luke again. It was the most relaxing sensation he’s ever experienced. “Just stressed.”

Michael laughs, passing his joint off to one of his buddies before wrapping an arm around Ashton’s shoulders. Ashton nearly drops his own joint at the sudden force, but tightens his grip on it before it can slip through his fingers. “Well, if it is stress you are trying to relieve my fearless leader, I definitely have some stronger stuff that could help take the edge off. Better than _weed_ anyway.”

His head is full of smoke, his thoughts scattered as he takes in the offer Michael has placed on the table. He knows better, _he does,_ and maybe that was Michael’s plan when Ashton had made his way over to them. To get the student body president high and push some of the rough stuff on him, fuck him up.

Or maybe he was over thinking things. It doesn’t matter anyhow, because someone’s hands have shoved Michael away from him and have now thrown the joint to the ground, a black boot grinding it into the lawn that Ashton is pretty sure Mrs. Hemmings has probably slaved over.

“Go push your drugs on someone else, Clifford,” a familiar voice spits at the boy, holding an arm around Ashton’s waist. “I don’t care if this party _was_ open invitation, I will easily call the police and have you escorted off of my property for trying to sell drugs.”

Michael simply laughs at the threat, rolling his eyes. “Please Hemmings, I highly doubt you have the balls to try.” He picks up his backpack from the ground, plucking his joint back from his friend’s lips and placing it against his own. He steps forward towards Luke and Ashton, grinning in Luke’s face before removing the joint, blowing softly into Luke’s face. “Go Swans.”

Luke crinkles his nose as Michael vanishes, rolling his eyes at his subtle cheer for the footy team. He didn’t care for Michael’s fake school spirit in light of the celebration party, and he most certainly wasn’t a fan of having smoke blown into his face. He turns Ashton in his arms, looking at the boy with a soft, gentle smile. “You good?”

Ashton nods, blushing slightly from the grip Luke has on him. “Yeah, I’m good.” He sighs, falling into Luke’s embrace clumsily and humming. “You should carry me.”

Luke smiles softly down at the boy, patting the boy’s back gently and ruffling the soft patch of curls near the nape of Ashton’s neck. “I am quite sure you have two legs capable of moving, don’t you think?” When Ashton releases a loud sigh, Luke can’t help but giggle at the boy’s neediness. “Okay, I _guess_ I could carry you.”

“You _guess?”_ Ashton gasps, feigning offense as he stumbles slightly backwards from the boy. “Well then, don’t even _bother_ if you are unsure.”

Luke can’t help but throw his head back, a howl of laughter erupting from his mouth before he steps forward, sweeping Ashton, quite literally, off of his feet and heading towards the house. Ashton squeals as he’s lifted up off of the ground, wrapping his arms around Luke’s neck and nuzzling into it. Luke smells slightly of the weed Michael blew in his face, but deep down there is the smell of musk, a smell that just screams Luke.

They receive a few looks from various partygoers as Luke carries him towards the stairs, leading the two of them up towards one of the bedrooms on the second level of the house. Ashton doesn’t bother to peek away from his position focusing on Luke’s skin, his finger reaching up and tracing the delicate skin under Luke’s ear and pressing a soft kiss there.

“You are beautiful,” Ashton whispers, nudging his nose against Luke’s neck once more. “I want you to know that.”

It’s almost as if Luke has never heard such a compliment before, his cheeks dusted with pink as he lies Ashton down on a bed. Ashton pouts the minute Luke’s arms are no longer around him, but he doesn’t bother with arguing as Luke sits down beside him, ruffling his own dark blond hair with a shy grin. “I think your glasses are cute. I want you to know _that.”_

Ashton curls into the soft, dark blue pillow underneath his head as Luke lies beside him, the two of them facing opposite directions in silence. Ashton’s head still feels foggy, dazed, though some of his thoughts are clear as crystal. Mostly the situation at hand is what he can’t stop thinking about, with Luke so close to him, almost touching but not quite.

It allows Ashton to wonder.

He shifts, turning his body to face Luke and peek at the boy’s thoughts. He wonders if just by simply glancing into the baby blue of Luke’s eyes, he could get some answers. Does Luke really like him, or was he just like this with everyone? How does Luke truly feel towards him? His mind swirls with all the possibilities, but the strongest thought in his mind pushes forward, and Ashton begins to wonder if he should listen to it.

“You can stay here tonight, if you’d like,” Luke whispers to him, eye contact never breaking. “My bed is plenty big for the both of us, or I could take the floor if you would prefer. Figured you wouldn’t want to drive home with your head the way it is.”

Luke’s soft, pink lips form the words beautifully, mesmerizing Ashton with each sound. The thoughts push against his mind once more, the small space between them could easily close and make everything a reality, answer the questions Ashton desperately wishes would be answered.

And yet.

“I would appreciate that,” Ashton whispers, moving forward and ducking his head underneath Luke’s jaw, curling into the boy’s figure. He doesn’t mean to, but his hand reaches for Luke’s shirt, fingers curling around the material and feeling how soft it was underneath his fingertips. It felt like home, pressed against Luke in the most innocent of ways. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor, though. You can stay here.”

He doesn’t see Luke’s face as he speaks, but he can feel the boy’s grin against his wild curls as Luke presses a gentle kiss against them. “I shall stay then, for you.”

Despite the party raging below them, all of their classmates drinking the night away and dancing to the music vibrating loudly from the speakers in the living room, Ashton feels as if the world has gone silent. It was just him, Luke, and their own little world around them. To Ashton, it was _perfect._

He falls asleep to the thought of kissing Luke, and it’s enough to give him the sweetest of dreams.

**

Junior year flashes before his eyes in a whirlwind of pep rallies, assemblies, school dances. It’s rare for Ashton to have some time just for himself, and even when he does have free time it’s always spent either with Luke or applying for colleges. Even though all of the responsibilities on his plate were beginning to become far too much, what kept him going was _summer._ After this school year, he would just have his senior year and then he was _gone._

Despite spending a good part of his junior year with Luke, there was still a question on his mind that had yet to be answered. There was some part of him that had always wanted to ask it, when they were holed up in Ashton’s bedroom working on homework together or going out to the movies, holding hands in the back row and giggling into each other’s necks at the stupidity on screen. Yet whenever he would look at Luke, those baby blue eyes scanning him ever so slightly, the question would evaporate and Ashton would be further led into uncertainty.

What were they?

He knows they are not dating; he’s damn sure he would remember if Luke Hemmings had ever asked him out on a date. Yet they were always affectionate, Luke intertwining their fingers together in the hallways at school, kissing his cheek sweetly when Ashton would tell him to enjoy his class before they went their separate ways. They were every aspect of what a couple should be, just without the official title to really seal it.

It’s the stress of wondering just what exactly he and Luke are doing, combined with wondering if he would be receiving any kind of acceptance letter soon, that led him to where he was currently. A joint is settled between his index and middle fingers, a small puff of smoke escaping his lips as he leans up against the back of the school with the last person he should be hanging around with.

“Your boyfriend know you are here?” Michael Clifford asks him, taking a drag of his own joint, never quite looking at Ashton as he asks the question. Ashton doesn’t bother with correcting him, merely shaking his head as he takes another drag. His head already feels more clear, muscles more relaxed. “Still pissed about what I did at his little party?”

“You blew smoke in his face,” Ashton reminds him, but he knows Michael didn’t forget. “Besides, he isn’t into this kind of stuff. Not entirely fond that I do this either.” He stares the joint down with his hazel eyes, tracing the small trickles of smoke that rise from the tip. His mind is fuzzy, creating images in the smoke, but he shakes his head and they are gone.

Michael chuckles, rolling his eyes and running a hand through his deep blue fringe. “Hemmings isn’t in charge of your life, you are. Fuck him, honestly.” He takes a particularly long drag, frowning as the joint becomes a stub. “This is why I don’t date; I don’t need someone tying me down, controlling what I do. Even if I met someone at this point, it won’t stop me from leaving the minute I graduate.”

Ashton raises an eyebrow at Michael’s words, joint lingering at the tip of his lips. “Leaving?”

“Might go to Adelaide,” the boy admits with a shrug, pulling out a plastic bag and some sheets. Ashton watches at his intricately rolls the joint up, careful not to dump any on the dead grass beneath them as he zips the bag shut and places it back in his backpack. “Me and a few friends, escaping together. I don’t know.”

Escaping sounds perfect, Ashton won’t lie. While University of Sydney was a great prospect for him, allowing him to be close to his mother and siblings, it was the _idea_ of leaving this town for something bigger and better than was looking appealing. Maybe Michael had the right idea in mind, to leave. He wonders if Luke would leave with him, maybe head to Melbourne and start a life out there.

“I got nothing keeping me here,” Michael finishes, shrugging. “No girlfriend, no boyfriend. My parents don’t care all that much. Even if this summer holds some kind of surprise for me, nothing is going to change my mind.”

The school bell rings above them, signaling the end of the day as students begin to pile out of the doors and head towards their cars. Ashton’s grateful that Luke drove him here that morning, his head feeling light and fuzzy as he attempts to pull himself up off of the grass. Michael laughs at his attempt, saying something along the lines of, ‘Fucking lightweight’ before he disappears into the crowd.

“Hey!” Ashton hears a little while later, Luke’s face coming into view with a big grin. “Thought you would be in the student council room, I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming carnival!”

 _Fuck._ “Oh yeah! The carnival, I have a booth for that. The carnival.” He knows he’s rambling, probably looks like a bumbling idiot in front of his crush, but his thoughts couldn’t be coherent. He was still floating, lose somewhere in his head. “I had an idea for a, um, fuck tank!”

Luke’s eyes widen at Ashton’s flub, and Ashton feels like a complete and total _idiot._ “Oh,” Luke laughs, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. “I don’t think that will be approved by the principal, but I’m sure it was a great idea. Maybe we could do a _dunk_ tank instead.” He winks, knowing exactly what Ashton had meant, and Ashton truly despises him for that.

He shoves the boy lightly in the shoulder, smiling softly. “You know what I meant you ass,” Ashton jokes, knowing damn well the heat in his cheeks was obvious. He tugs on the sleeves of his sweater, covering his hands as he peeks up at Luke through his long fringe. “We can talk on the way home?”

Luke nods, slipping his hand into Ashton’s as they head towards the parking lot. Ashton’s cheeks still feel incredibly hot, but he thinks it’s because how Luke holds his hand so gently, as if Ashton was something fragile and delicate. While Ashton could beg to differ with the comparison, it felt _nice_ to be handled so carefully.

“Here,” Luke whispers to him once they reach his car, handing Ashton a bottle of eye drops. Ashton raises an eyebrow at the gift, but Luke just waves a dismissive hand. “I don’t think your mother would appreciate you showing up to your house high. The eye drops will help, I promise.” He doesn’t appear angry with Ashton, but with the way he slides into the driver’s side seat and stares ahead, he might be a little angry.

He settles himself into the passenger seat, buckling up and quickly applying the eye drops as Luke starts the car up, pulling out from the spot and heading down towards their neighborhood. None of them speak, only the sounds of Blink 182 coming from Luke’s stereo as they drive. Ashton wants to say something, anything to clear the air of the awkward silence, but it’s Luke that finally breaks it with a simple question.

“Do you normally skip student council meetings to get high with Clifford?” He asks calmly, flicking on his turn signal and turning the steering wheel. Ashton feels an awful feeling in his gut, something along the lines of guilt at Luke’s words.

“No,” Ashton promises, rubbing his arms. “I mean; he is usually the one I go to when I need something to calm my nerves. It’s not like I’m getting high a lot if that’s what you are thinking.”

Luke sighs softly, pulling into Ashton’s driveway and killing the engine. He faces Ashton with his soft blue eyes, a hand reaching over the center console to take Ashton’s hand. “I don’t care that you are off getting high to rid yourself of stress. I don’t have any right to judge you for that at all. It’s the fact that it’s with Michael Clifford that worries me.”

Ashton nods, thumb tracing over Luke’s knuckles with apologetic eyes. Michael Clifford certainly wasn’t his favorite person in the world either, but the boy had exactly what Ashton needed when it came to getting his fix. As bad as he knew it was to skip out on meetings so close to the end of the school year, he just couldn’t _help_ it. So much pressure was on his shoulders, and he needed something to remind him that he wasn’t completely falling apart.

The carnival was something that had completely slipped his mind that past few weeks, even though he knows damn well it’s in only a couple of weeks. As student body president he was in charge of the student council booth, setting everything up and making sure that everyone knew their assigned jobs and exactly what times to show up. It was an end of the year event that was supposed to be incredibly important, and instead of focusing solely on it he’s been putting it off.

“I don’t want you to worry about me,” Ashton says, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth. “Can we just go inside, discuss the carnival? I’m pretty sure my mom could have a few ideas about what you guys could do at the NHS booth?” He knows it’s a change of subject, that Luke was soon going to catch on and _make_ him talk about it. For right now, though, he just wants to avoid the topic all together.

Luke seems to take the bait, nodding his head before kissing their joined hands sweetly. “Good, because our president has no fucking _clue.”_ The two of them laugh quietly, unbuckling their seatbelts and grabbing their backpacks from the backseat before heading up the steps towards Ashton’s house. The talk still lingers in the back of Ashton’s mind, nagging at him that it wasn’t over just yet, that he couldn’t just avoid it forever.

No matter _how_ much he wants to.

**

A kissing booth.

That is what Ashton’s eyes immediately go to the minute he arrives at the school the morning of the carnival, dressed in his swimming trunks as he anticipates a long afternoon stuck in his own club’s dunk tank. He expected the booth next to his to be something equally exciting, maybe a pie tossing booth. He didn’t expect his school to actually be involved in the cliché that was the kissing booth. With any luck the booth wasn’t going to gather too much attention, especially if it belongs to the drama club or possibly the Yearbook staff.

So he nearly chokes on his Gatorade when he sees _Luke_ positioning one of the signs for the booth, a grin on his face as he instructs another member of the NHS where to put a specific sign. His face burns red as he notices a couple of freshman girls giggle when they see Luke at the booth, the boy offering a shy wave and making them practically _squeal._

“What’s got you all red?” His vice president, Niall, questions. He has a box full of baseballs for the dunk tank, his own swim trunks hanging over his shoulder. He turns, looking in the direction Ashton’s eyes are stuck to and chuckles. “Aw man, tough luck buddy. Gotta watch your boyfriend kiss everyone.”

Ashton sighs. “He’s not my boyfriend,” he mumbles, but he doesn’t think Niall hears him. He tears his eyes away from the sight of Luke being a little too flirty with the freshman and walks towards the tank, taking his position on the plank. Niall tosses him a pair of goggles, giving Ashton a thumbs up before he takes a step forward towards the front of the booth with a wide grin.

“Who wants to dunk our fearless student leader?” Niall shouts out, some students turning their heads towards him with intrigue on their faces. “Only a dollar for three tries! If you dunk him, you get a prize!”

It doesn’t take long to gather a crowd, what with Niall’s charm and Ashton shouting from the tank some cocky phrases. It’s all harmless fun, and it entertains Ashton to watch some of the students with terrible aim miss horribly. If Ashton could pull off staying dry for the entire day, he certainly wasn’t going to complain. They would get more money raised for student council with people buying more tries. There certainly wasn’t anything wrong with that.

Once a member of the footy team has attempted three times to knock him down, he expects one of his friends to step up next. Ashton’s pretty sure one of them is also on the cricket team, and maybe could have fantastic aim. He least expects it when the next person in line has those fascinating baby blues, and Ashton smirks.

“Bet you couldn’t dunk me even will all three tries!” Ashton shouts, his voice echoing around the plastic tank. His words manage to get a laugh out of Luke, who currently has three baseballs in his hands and confidence oozing out of every pour. A little smirk has Luke’s lips quirked, and Ashton can’t help but worry for a second.

“I bet I could do it in _one.”_ Luke taunts back, and before Ashton can even think of something snarky to say back to his crush, he can hear the sound of a baseball smashing against the bullseye, and he’s falling. The water is _freezing,_ making Ashton snap up immediately as his hair whips his face as he turns to look at Luke, mouth open in shock that the boy actually managed to _do it._

Luke remains smirking, holding two baseballs in his hands before he shouts, “I still have two more tries!”

“Beginner’s luck!” Ashton declares, climbing back up onto the plank and sitting comfortably. “How about we make a deal then, aye Hemmings? You get me in the next two times, I might just take you out tonight. You miss both of them, you have to take _me_ out. Deal?”

The cocky smirk is replaced by a more genuine smile, Luke’s baby blue eyes sparkling at Ashton’s words. “You have yourself a deal there Irwin.” His arm swings back, the ball smacking against the bullseye once more and sending Ashton into the chilly water for a second time.

**

Ashton has to endure another two hours of being thrown into the water before he finally gets a break from his booth. Niall more than willingly steps up to be dunked, with their secretary taking over his handling the money while shooing Ashton away to go and enjoy himself. Niall cheekily suggests taking a moment to visit the kissing booth next door, Ashton only responding with a middle finger before he takes towards the restrooms inside the school, hoping to change out of his soaking wet clothes and into something dry.

The change of clothes he brought are nothing fancy, just a simple tank top and a pair of shorts, but now Ashton is beginning to wonder if he should drive home really quick and find something different to change into. While he’s never taken quite an interest in his appearance, the very thought of possibly kissing his crush makes him wonder if he should at least _try._

Of course, Luke wouldn’t care how Ashton looked. He’s never cared about such trivial things before, and whenever he did make such comments about Ashton’s appearance, it was always something along the lines of ‘cute’ or ‘adorable’. Words that brought blush to Ashton’s face as he pulls his tank top on over his head and adjust his glasses, cursing himself for having forgotten his back up contacts for when after his shift at the tank was over.

Taking a deep breath, he exits the bathroom and begins to head towards Luke’s booth with as much confidence as he can muster. He can feel his palms sweaty profusely, mouth growing dry with each step he takes towards the booth. It’s ridiculous, really. This wasn’t his first kiss with someone, definitely not his first with a guy. The fact that he was so completely nervous was entirely insane.

It’s when he gets up to the booth, a short line awaiting him, that he realizes just why he feels so incredibly nervous. When he looks at Luke, with his gentle blue eyes and kind smile, he wonders just what on Earth this boy could possibly see in him that puts him above everyone else. Here Luke is, kissing countless classmates in the name of earning money for NHS, but for some odd reason, Ashton was the one he would eventually come back to.

Was Ashton really that special, in the end?

The dollar bill in his hand is awfully crumpled by the time he reaches the beginning of the line, a little damp from the amount of sweat pouring from Ashton’s palms. He’s a little too embarrassed when he places the dollar bill on the table, watching as Luke meets his eyes with the most beautiful stare. “I’d like a kiss,” Ashton manages to stutter out, trying to swallow down his evil nerves. He’s acting completely foolish, knows this damn well. “A dollar a kiss, correct?”

Luke chuckles, nodding as he observes the sign posted just to the side of him. “Well, that is what the sign says, does it not?” He jokes, and it has Ashton falling into a comfortable laughter alongside him. It eases the tension between them, how nerve wracking this was in Ashton’s head as his heart begins to pound more and more as the seconds continue to tick by.

“It does,” Ashton confirms, because _what else._ He’s not sure how kissing booths work, if he was the one who had to lean forward and initiate it, or if Luke was supposed to be the one who approached it. God, he hadn’t even _kissed_ the boy yet, and here he was already making a fool of himself with how long this was taking. It didn’t matter that there was nobody in line with him right now, he felt like a complete, love struck idiot.

He least expects it when Luke gets up from the table, walking around it in favor of standing directly in front of Ashton as he places the dollar back in Ashton’s palm. Ashton raises an eyebrow at the action, but he’s immediately forgotten it all the minute Luke’s hands are cupping his face, holding it gently as Luke whispers, “Consider yours on the house.”

Ashton has kissed someone before, has felt the familiar sensation of someone else’s lips against his own, but the feeling of Luke’s soft, gentle kiss was unlike anything he could conjure up in his head. His world seemed to stop spinning for just a few moments, his nerves evaporating into the sweltering Australian heat as he places his heads ever so gently against Luke’s hips, eyes fluttered shut as he returns the kiss with as much power as he can muster.

Kissing Luke felt like he had found the world’s greatest treasure, only in the form of the most beautiful, gentle human Ashton had ever met in his entire life. It was everything he had anticipated it to be in his imagination, even more as Luke’s hands moved to wrap his arms around Ashton’s neck.

It ends, only because Ashton is damn sure Luke has taken his breath away in an instant. He always has, will probably continue to have such power over Ashton for however long Luke decides to keep Ashton in his life. His arms remain wrapped around Ashton’s neck though, as do Ashton’s hands stay on Luke’s slender waist.

“Please tell me I haven’t been reading everything wrong,” Luke whispers between them, his breath hitting Ashton’s lips. “You feel this way too, right? You wanted me to kiss you, right?” He chuckles softly at the end, embarrassed by such a simple question, but Ashton finds it incredibly endearing.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since I saw you my freshman year,” Ashton embarrassingly admits, brushing their noses together. “If you hadn’t crashed into me the beginning of this year, who knows if I would have even had the guts to.”

He wants to kiss Luke again, badly, is so close to just sealing the gap between them with another breathless kiss, but the universe must be finished with them for that day. Ashton can hear what he believes to be the NHS president whistling at them, Luke giving them what looks almost like a death glare before he returns back to Ashton, frowning.

“I have to return to my booth,” he pouts, removing his arms from around Ashton. The boy misses the heat already, the feeling of Luke wrapping himself around Ashton one to long for. Ashton nods, rubbing his arms with a grin as the memory of the kiss plays out in his mind, and he goes to turn towards another booth when Luke takes his wrist gently, kissing him once more before heading back towards his booth. “I’m picking you up tonight, at seven. After all, you owe me a date since I got you _three times.”_

Ashton laughs, remembering his previous agreement with Luke back at the dunk tank with a smile. “I am a man of my word,” Ashton tells him. “Seven sharp, don’t be late Hemmings.” He gives Luke a subtle wink before turning on his heel, heart fluttering as he heads towards more booths.

The kiss doesn’t leave his mind the rest of the day.

**

Ashton arrives at Luke’s house almost at seven sharp, his palms slick against the steering wheel as he continues to take deep breaths. This wasn’t his first date by any means, and honestly the fact that he was so nervous about the entire thing made him feel completely ridiculous. It was Luke; the boy who made him feel at home no matter where he was in the world. The boy he had finally kissed in what had to be the most spectacular moment in Ashton’s high school life.

He shouldn’t be worrying; he shouldn’t.

Yet when finally musters up the courage to leave the car, fist hitting against the front door as he patiently awaits the sound of footsteps, he wonders if Luke would understand if he just cancelled it all right then and there and ran home. Maybe if it had been Luke coming to his place to pick him up it would be a little better.

The front door opens in the middle of his panic, the sound of someone clearing their throat making him jolt and look up at twinkling blue eyes and an incredibly amused grin. “You look like you could use something to calm your nerves,” Luke laughs at him, holding out a hand for Ashton to take and lead him into the house. Ashton’s face flushes a scarlet red with embarrassment as Luke allows him inside, the warmth and smell of something sweet hitting Ashton’s nose as the boy takes his jacket. “I know you said you had an idea for dinner, but I just have something I need to complete really quick? I promise it won’t take long.”

“That’s not a bother,” Ashton insists, taking a look around the living room. “Just don’t be too long, okay?”

Luke grins and nods his head, placing a quick kiss to Ashton’s cheek before he bolts up the stairs once more. “Two minutes, tops!” He shouts down them, making Ashton chuckle before he takes a seat on the couch in the living room, peaking at the coffee table with scattered magazines and newspapers. Most of them appear to be home magazines or sports, an occasional celebrity gossip magazine mixed in. A thick envelope is what has caught Ashton’s eyes, the packaging yet to have been opened. With a quick glance up the stairs to see if Luke was coming, Ashton picks the envelope up.

It’s from University of Sydney.

Ashton hasn’t received a letter from them just yet, though he knows it should be arriving anytime soon now. He figured Luke would have applied to somewhere further away from Sydney, maybe Melbourne, but he can’t deny the butterflies in his stomach at the thought that he and Luke could be attending the same school together.

“Alright!” he hears Luke clap as he steps down the stairs, making Ashton jump and nearly drop the envelope. He sets it down gently onto the coffee table before getting up to get a look at his crush when his jaw practically drops to the floor.

He has always thought Luke was incredibly gorgeous, but how he looks currently was _breathtaking._ His blonde hair falls across his forehead slightly, gel attempting to hold it up into his trademark quiff. He’s changed into a black button up that hugs his body so deliciously, if Ashton was being honest, and the top button just happened to be slightly unbuttoned, revealing a peak of the slightly tanned skin underneath.

“I’m assuming you staring is a good thing, right?” Luke asks, a cocky grin on his face that Ashton can’t help but lean forward and kiss right off of the boy. “Yeah, I’m guessing good thing.”

“You suck,” Ashton tells him, the temptation far too great as he captures Luke’s lips with his once more. He knows it’s ridiculous, cheesy even, to be sharing kisses in the middle of Luke’s living room before they have even left for their _first_ date, but he just couldn’t help himself. He was able to actually do this now, to have his arms wrapped around Luke’s tall frame and kiss him as much as he wanted. He wasn’t about to just let that go to waste.

Luke giggles softly against his lips, pulling away just to kiss Ashton’s nose. “Not on the first date I won’t.” He laughs and ducks away as Ashton attempts to smack his arm, reaching towards the table near the door and grabbing his wallet before taking Ashton’s hand in his. “Should I expect a gourmet dinner or am I being treated to the classiest of Macca joints?”

Ashton scoffs at Luke’s words, rushing towards the passenger side of his car and opening it up for Luke. “Please, we would have to drive clear to Melbourne for something so fine,” he teases as Luke slides into the passenger seat. He’s quick to dart towards the driver’s side and slide in beside the boy, grinning at him before continuing. “While I do believe you deserve everything fine in this world, I don’t exactly have the best budget in the world when it comes to presenting you with such a thing.”

Luke hums as they take off, reaching forward to turn the volume up on the radio enough that he could at least hear the music, but still kept it low in case they wanted to talk. “So what exactly _does_ your budget entail? Not that I will complain either way.”

“My siblings are with their dad this weekend, and my mom went out of town for the weekend with some friends for a nice vacation. I was thinking of taking you to my place and cooking for you, actually.” He’s blushing as he confesses his plans, biting down on his lip. “I’m going to University for culinary arts, actually. I mean, I probably won’t end up doing anything special with it in the end, but it’s something I enjoy?”

Luke raises an eyebrow, obvious intrigue on his face as he asks, “So I will be getting an original Ashton Irwin dish tonight?”

Ashton grins, turning into his neighborhood. “I wouldn’t say it’s entirely original. I drew some inspiration from some cooking shows, personalities anyway. I will, however, be adding my own flare so I guess some of it comes from me.”

He nearly jumps when Luke’s hand touched his gently, warmth rushing through him. “I am sure that whatever you make I will love.” Luke insists.

Ashton’s grateful when his house comes into view, quickly pulling into the driveway and placing the car in park before shutting off the engine. He basically bolts from the driver’s seat to head towards the passenger side, allowing Luke out with a sweet kiss to his cheek. “I wanted to do that when I was driving, but I also want to keep my license.”

“That’s a good idea,” Luke grins, taking his own chance and pressing a kiss to Ashton’s lips. “Now, I’m incredibly interested in just what you have prepared for me tonight. Lead the way?”

**

Dinner wasn’t incredibly extravagant; Luke was never one Ashton had to work hard to impress, nor did he want to. All Ashton had wanted to do was treat the boy he’s been pining over for so long to something nice, and maybe to show off just a little bit of his cooking skills. He was proud of what he had created, and from the look on Luke’s face throughout dinner it seemed the boy had the same opinion.

They did the dishes together, which ended up being a larger mess than either one of them had really intended for it to be. It felt almost as if it was out of some romantic movie, with them tossing bubbles at each other and getting the other soaking wet in dish water. Ashton was about to complain; the soapy kisses Luke gave me afterwards were all worth the mess.

Once they managed to change into dry clothes they gathered in the living room. Ashton had found a few blankets in his bedroom that they could wrap around themselves, even though Luke disregarded his own in favor of sharing one with Ashton. It was only when they were curled up together, Ashton content with his head resting on Luke’s chest, that the boy realized that there was nothing playing on the television. “Um,” he starts, not really wanting to move. “I forgot to put the movie in before I lied down.”

Luke laughs, ruffling Ashton’s fringe fondly. “Would you like me to put it in for you?” A howl of laughter escapes his mouth as Ashton mumbles something into his chest, and Ashton cannot help but grin as the boy slides out from under him to grab the movie. He misses the heat Luke provided, but he can’t help but grin when Luke raises an eyebrow at the movie he had chosen. “Finding Nemo?”

“Don’t you dare knock that movie Lucas,” Ashton threatens, making grabby hands towards the boy once the movie has been placed into the player. “I will have you know that Finding Nemo happens to be one of the greatest animated masterpieces since Toy Story thank you very much.” He settles into Luke easily once the boy is wrapped back into him, Luke kissing the top of his head adoringly before he presses play on the remote.

They spend the majority of the movie like this: Luke whispering quotes as they are spoken into Ashton’s ear, rendering the boy to fits of giggles. The two attempt to speak whale at some point, Ashton glad that his family is out of the house as the volume grows in their attempts. The movie is almost forgotten altogether in the end, with the two of them losing themselves to laughter, movie quoting and stolen kisses when the other was being particularly adorable.

It's bittersweet when midnight rolls around, Ashton pulling up to Luke’s house with his head in the clouds and Luke’s hand intertwined with his. The greatest night of his life was drawing to a close, and while the last thing he wanted to do was release Luke’s hand, he knew he would see the boy tomorrow. The engine dies, the two of them sitting outside in Ashton’s car and looking at Luke’s house with small hints of sadness.

“I really don’t want to go in there just yet,” Luke admits aloud. His thumb glides softly across Ashton’s knuckles as he looks at the boy, nibbling on his lower lip. “I mean; tonight was everything I had hoped it would be with you. How on Earth am I going to top this?”

Ashton laughs. “I guess I set the bar higher than I had thought,” he brings their hands to his lips, kissing Luke’s softly. “I promise to text you when I get home, okay? Right now I want you to go in there and get some sleep.”

Luke releases an annoyed groan, finally unbuckling his seat belt and opening the passenger door to exit the vehicle. While Ashton expects him to head towards his house, instead Luke is jogging to the driver’s side, opening the door and pressing one last, longing kiss to Ashton’s lips before he grins wildly. “Goodnight Ashton.”

He’s gone before Ashton can properly respond, the kiss lingering on his lips long after he’s arrived home and wrapped up in his bed. He almost didn’t want to fall asleep, as memories of the date played through his head reminding him that anything he could conjure up in his sleep couldn’t be _near_ as perfect as tonight had been.

**

When the school year officially comes to an end, Ashton cannot help but be relieved.

It had been a rough year, at least in his mind. He managed to pass Calculus by the skin of his teeth and with Luke’s help, even though most of their tutoring sessions had turned into more of a making out session rather than actual studying. It had definitely set him on course to become valedictorian next year, however, and he definitely counts that as a victory in his book.

He’s re-elected study body president, by a landslide he’s told. It doesn’t seem quite a surprise though, considering Ashton’s only competition was his current secretary, who had never thought Ashton was fit for running the student body. Didn’t matter anyhow; starting next year there would be a brand new, fresh student council that Ashton had to look forward to.

With summer vacation looming in the distance, it only seemed fitting that Niall, his former vice president who also happened to be graduating, decided to throw an end of the year party. There was a time where Ashton had considered doing the same thing, inviting the entire school for an end of the year blowout, but when life got in the way he couldn’t manage to plan the damn thing. It was almost a relief when Niall mentioned his own plans.

He finds Luke at his locker the morning of their last day, cleaning it out and stuffing a good portion of old assignments into his already over stuffed backpack. It’s humorous to watch as his friend grumbles when it won’t zip shut, favoring for dumping the backpack onto the ground and banging his head against his locker. It’s what has Ashton leaping forward, nudging Luke’s hand in order to have the boy look at him.

“What has you all annoyed?” He asks.

Luke grumbles once more, closing his locker before leaning against it. “University of Sydney fucked up my rooming situation for my freshman year there. I requested a single room and instead they put me in a shared room. If I don’t find a roommate by that year I will end up stuck with a complete stranger and the very last thing I want is to room with someone I don’t know.”

It seems inconsiderate, but Ashton laughs. Luke raises an eyebrow at him, fully offended, only for Ashton to take the boy’s hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. “Well, I did so happen to receive my acceptance letter to University of Sydney yesterday. If you would like, I wouldn’t mind rooming with you.”

It feels like he’s asked a pretty big question, even though in reality it could be seen as small. They weren’t even technically boyfriends officially, and already it feels as though Ashton has skipped a few steps essential to a relationship by asking Luke to live with him in Uni. Granted, it was as _roommates,_ but in Ashton’s mind it seemed to feel like a hell lot more than just that.

What eases the worries flooding his mind is Luke’s face lighting up. His dimples are prominent, blue eyes twinkling as he pulls Ashton into a giant hug. “That would be so _awesome._ I can’t believe I didn’t even consider that!” He pulls away with his grin still on his face, hands cupping Ashton’s face as he whispers, “You sure you are alright with that?”

It’s one of the most ridiculous questions in the world. “Better than rooming with a complete stranger, right?”

Luke laughs. “Yeah, yeah it is.” He leans forward, eye fluttering shut along with Ashton’s as their lips touch gently. It already has Ashton craving more, just the softest touch from Luke’s lips has him craving more than he can possibly ask for in a crowded school hallway. He hopes the feeling never leaves.

It’s when they pull away that Ashton remembers what exactly he was coming over to him for, even if it is slightly jumbled as his mind shoots of sirens of happiness. “Niall is throwing an end of the year party tonight. Think maybe I’ll see you there?”

Luke nods his head, sliding his hand back into Ashton’s as they walk towards their first class of the morning. “Mind if I bring Calum? My goal is to get him out of the house as much as I can this summer, and this would be a good start.”

Ashton raises an eyebrow. “Why on Earth is that even a goal for you?”

“Calum isn’t exactly someone who gets out that much,” Luke explains, the two of them filing into the classroom. “He’s shy, and I promised myself that I would at least try and get him to do more things this summer. I figured if I could get him to go to a few parties that would be a damn good start.”

“Well I would love it if Calum came,” Ashton grins, pulling out his notebook and pen from his backpack, handing Luke a piece of paper from it. Off of the boy’s confused look, Ashton points his pen knowingly towards Luke’s own backpack. “I don’t want to see the disaster of you opening that thing and having paper fly everywhere. You’re welcome.”

Luke offers a blushing grin in return, turning his attention to the front.

**

The burning in his lungs feels almost like betrayal, to himself and to Luke. Summer vacation wasn’t stressful by any means, even with the prospect of a job creating a brand new obstacle. No, the reasoning for the joint dangling between Ashton’s fingers was currently about a question he was desperate for an answer to. One that he constantly had to remind himself he needed to ask Luke tonight in fear of spontaneously combusting.

“You need to fucking relax,” Michael scolds from beside him, a cigarette resting between his cherry red lips. “I am trying to enjoy a nice cigarette here and your anxiety is rubbing off onto me.”

Ashton doesn’t bother with an apology, tossing his joint towards the grass and crushing it with his shoe. His mind is no near as clouded as he wants it to be. “Have you ever been in love?”

It’s stupid, asking Michael Clifford of all people such a question. The boy even laughs at Ashton’s words, nearly choking on the smoke from his cigarette as he does so. “Love ain’t real, Mr. President.” He snorts, bringing the cigarette back to his lips and taking a long drag. “Also that shit you just tossed into the grass wasn’t exactly cheap, you fucker.”

“I still owe you from last time anyway,” Ashton scoffs, brushing off Michael’s anger. He hands Michael a wad of bills from his pocket. “Now answer my question, I’m being serious.”

“So was I,” Michael clarifies. He shoves the money into his pocket with obvious annoyance. “I think your boy toy just pulled up. Go spout your fairy tale romance shit to him, yeah?” He completes the final drag of his cigarette before tossing the remainder into the bushes by the house, stalking off towards the back porch. Ashton watches him go with a roll of his eyes before heading back into the house. He definitely needed a beer.

His conversation with Michael sticks. Ashton knows he can be a little naïve when it comes to some things, but love was not one of those things. He has never been in love before, never experienced the raw emotion outside of his family. However, he was so sure that what he felt towards Luke was just that.

He swears it is love he feels when arms wrap around him from behind, his heart leaping when familiar lips press against his neck with a soft whisper, “Hey.”

Ashton feels _weak._

A coy smirk slips onto his face as he says, “Calum! I told you that Luke was our friend; we could not continue this!” When he hears the offended gasp, he turns around giggling, Luke smiling at him. “Hey to you too, _roomie.”_

Luke blushes at the nickname, hands reaching for Ashton’s waist and pulling him towards him by his belt loops. “I am definitely loving the sound of that.” It’s inevitable when Luke leans forward, kissing Ashton softly and chaste. Ashton swears he will never get used to the feeling, and he sure as hell doesn’t want to.

“Get me a beer?” Ashton asks once they’ve pulled apart, lips still tingling. He’s grateful for wearing his contacts tonight, avoiding the embarrassment of his glasses fogging up from just how close Luke was breathing near him.

Luke nods, releasing his hands and heading towards the kitchen. Ashton watches as he does so, blush dusting his cheeks as his eyes scan the crowd. He finds Niall doing shorts in the living room with a few NHS members, some of the footy team cheering him on. A couple of student council members are lazily making out on the couch, and as Ashton’s eyes continue to trace the room, they land, evidentially, on Michael.

He watches as Michael heads up the stairs, most likely to smoke away from the raging party, but that isn’t what peeks Ashton’s interest. It’s the person he’s bringing up with him, one who looks incredibly intrigued with Michael as if he was something new, interesting.

It’s Calum.

“I’m not exactly sure what was in the keg, but it looks like the only beer Niall has,” Luke’s tells him, jostling him away from his view on the stairs to face him. Luke quirks on eyebrow at him, holding two red solo cups filled with whatever beer was provided. He appears confused, himself looking towards the now vacant stairs with confusion. “Saw something you didn’t like?”

 _Tell him._ “Just two people going upstairs, probably to have sex in Niall’s room.” He accepts the cup from Luke, taking a drink and nearly gagging. “Yeah, whatever the hell was in that keg was definitely not worth it. This is disgusting.”

As if not trusting Ashton’s word Luke takes his own drink, only to gag as well. “Holy fuck, that is a mix of something that should _not_ be mixed.” He takes Ashton’s cup from him, moving it towards another table before taking Ashton’s hand and leading them towards the kitchen. Bottles of water sit in a cooler near the keg, and Luke is quick to grab two for them both. “To staying sober!” He toasts.

Ashton chuckles, tapping his own water bottle against Luke’s before taking a drink. His mind wanders back towards the stairs, with Michael taking Calum up there. He knows he needs to tell Luke about it, hopefully making the boy go up there and get Calum away from Michael. Then again, Calum seemed smart enough to know what he was getting into.

It was wishful thinking, Ashton knew that.

Instead, he distracts himself with Luke. They dance to the shit playlist Niall has composed for the party, laughing as party goers around them stumble drunkenly through the house and falling into the pool in the backyard. It’s even better when Luke leads him towards a more private setting, his lips attached to Ashton’s neck the minute the door is shut.

He allows himself to forget about what he saw, to melt in Luke’s hands and allow the boy to take him somewhere else.

It’s then, with Luke’s lips nipping and sucking at his neck, that he blurts out, “Are we boyfriends?”

Luke stops his movements, moving his lips away from the sweet skin of Ashton’s neck to stare at him with confusion. “Why are you asking?”

 _Great, I ruined everything._ “We’ve been on a few dates, we hold hands and kiss all the time. We’ve never really talked about what this all was, and honestly I have been wanting some kind of answer but I was always afraid to ask? I understand if you don’t want that, I do.”

Luke releases what Ashton can only determine as a sigh of _relief,_ which simply confuses him. “That is all I want, Ashton. Fuck, I thought you were gonna say you just wanted to fuck around.” He cups Ashton’s face, kissing him fully on the lips. “Of course I want to be your boyfriend.”

Ashton’s heart fucking _soars._ “Good. I want to be _your_ boyfriend.”

“Glad we settled that,” Luke laughs, returning to work on Ashton’s neck. “Do you mind if I make them visible? I don’t have to, but I certainly would love everyone to know that Mr. President is taken.” He blushes when he says it, almost as if he’s scared Ashton would tell him no, which, Ashton certainly is _not._ In fact, Ashton would fucking _love_ to be marked by his boy.

“Please.”

**

There’s another party the next week, this time hosted by one of the members of the Yearbook staff. This time it was Luke who invited him, saying that he and Calum were looking for another party and Luke was insistent that his boyfriend come with them.

 _Boyfriend._ It was a title Ashton wore perfectly and proudly. It was still unbelievable that Luke Hemmings had picked him, of all people, to be his, but Ashton certainly wasn’t about to voice any complaints. He was over the moon with his relationship.

It’s why this time when he enters the party, he doesn’t go straight to Michael for weed. That was his normal go to, to get a hit before Luke arrived to calm his nerves, but now he doesn’t feel nervous at all. The thought of Luke arriving soon seemed to leave him with a sense of calm rather than nerves. Instead he goes towards the beer cooler, sighing with relief when he catches sight of some Corona. While it wasn’t much of a step up from the last party, it was at least something Ashton could tolerate to drink.

Luke finds him easily enough, a kiss pressed against his neck once more as he steals Ashton’s beer and takes his own drink from it. It’s only when Ashton protests that Luke says, “Boyfriends share, it’s only fair.” It shuts Ashton right up, only because he is blushing too hard at the fact that Luke referred to them as _boyfriends._

Luke eventually hands him the drink back, pressing a kiss to Ashton’s nose. “So I just realized something.”

“ _That’s_ not good,” Ashton jokes, earning a soft punch to the arm from his boyfriend. “Sorry, continue.”

“Anyways, before I was so rudely interrupted,” he clears his throat, grabbing his own Corona from the beer cooler and popping the cap. “We never quite got the chance to celebrate the fact that you were accepted into University of Sydney. You were so worried about it, and it seemed to just get swept underneath the rug, which I refuse to accept.” He clinks his bottle against Ashton’s. “To my amazing boyfriend getting into the culinary program.”

Ashton blushes once more. “To my amazing boyfriend, who got himself accepted into University of Sydney’s journalism program.”

“Not near as cool as your acceptance,” Luke dismisses, taking a drink regardless. “Also it’s Sports Journalism. If we need to get technical.” He grins around the rim of his beer, and Ashton takes this time to shove him slightly.

Someone calls out his name suddenly, making Ashton turn to see someone he is sure is one of Michael’s friends coming towards him. Zayn, he thinks it is. “Mr. President, have you seen Mikey? He took the last of the Rush I had and I need it back.”

Ashton has no idea what Rush is, nor does he want to find out. “Can’t say I have seen him tonight, no. Sorry dude.” His mind flashes back to the last party, watching Michael take Calum upstairs with a bag of weed and only then is when it clicks.

“Where is Cal?” he asks Luke casually, hoping the boy was anywhere but around Michael.

Luke sighs. “He texted me a couple of minutes ago saying he left, wasn’t feeling too good. Something wrong babe?”

Ashton looks towards the stairs, noticing Michael coming down them with a sly smirk on his face. It sends a shiver down Ashton’s spine, and suddenly he too feels sick to his stomach. “Nah, was just curious on why I hadn’t seen him yet, that’s all.”

Luke seems to buy it, turning the conversation over to the family trip he was taking the upcoming week. As much as Ashton tries to listen, to be just as excited as his boyfriend appears to be, all that looms over his head was the fact that Michael had gotten to Calum.

All Ashton could hope for at this point was that Calum truly was smart enough to not get hurt.

**

It’s a lonely week without Luke, and it takes everything in Ashton not to go to Michael.

He wasn’t looking for a hook up this time around. At least, that is what he is telling himself. He swears last time was the definite last time. Yet with Luke gone for another four days and still no job out there willing to bring him in for an interview, it wouldn’t hurt to get his hands on some weed. At least it was something to kill time with, not to mention help him forget about his boyfriend being out of town.

The only thing that was keeping him from going to Michael was the fact that his entire family was home today, and the last thing he wanted to do was bring the weed back to his house with his younger siblings around.

That wasn’t why he wanted to go to Michael, though. What he desperately wanted was to confront Michael about seeing him with Calum. Ashton doesn’t know Calum all too well, aside from the things Luke has told him about his best friend, but just from those words alone Ashton knows that Calum will blindly follow. It breaks his heart just to know that Michael could manipulate and twist Calum’s heart around and the boy wouldn’t even argue; he would gladly deliver his heart on a silver platter.

His thumb hovers over Michael’s name in his phone when suddenly Luke’s contact photo pops up, signaling a phone call. Ashton nearly drops his phone in surprise when Luke’s ringtone starts playing, only to collect himself and slide his thumb across the screen to answer. “Hey! How is the trip going?”

Luke laughs on the other end, and Ashton realizes then just how much he has missed hearing his boyfriend laugh. “It’s great! We just got done having lunch at some seafood place, we are about to head off towards the shops. Figured I would call you and ask you how you’ve been.”

 _Miserable. Alone._ “Not too bad. Aside from missing you, I’ve managed to apply to a few jobs and beat a couple of video games.” It’s a total lie, but he is pretty sure if he tells Luke he’s mostly been moping around the house since he’s left that would make him sound incredibly pathetic. He feels pathetic just thinking about it.

“I miss you too,” Luke tells him, and Ashton’s heart warms. “I promise that when I get home in four days I will spend the rest of the summer with you. Well, and Calum.”

Ashton chuckles lightly. “I do love the sound of that.” His mind wanders back to Calum and Michael, the opportunity blaring at him. “Hey, speaking of, has Calum talked to you at all since you’ve left? I’ve, um, tried texting him and he won’t respond.”

“He won’t answer his phone when I call him,” Luke sighs, sounding defeated. Ashton frowns. “He’s actually been acting really weird since the end of the year party. I’m a little worried about him to be honest.”

 _Me too._ “I’m sure he’s alright, yeah? Maybe he found some cute boy or girl and he’s devoting his time to them this summer.” Half of it was true at least. Doesn’t mean the bitter taste in Ashton’s mouth would be going away. Lying to Luke felt so incredibly _wrong,_ but the last thing he wanted was his boyfriend worrying. If Ashton could do something about it himself, there was no need to drag Luke into it. “Have fun at the shops babe. Bring me something back?”

“That is a promise,” Luke tells him. “I will see you in four days, okay? Don’t miss me too much until then.” The phone call ends there, and Ashton groans before tossing his phone across the room at his bed. Weed begins to sound better as the seconds past if he was being honest with himself.

“Ash!” His little sister shouts from the opposite end of his bedroom door, knocking against the wood. “Mom says you have to take me to dance today, come on!” Her footsteps retreat back down the hall, and Ashton releases a heavy sigh.

Four more days. He could make it.

**

He manages to get a job as a waiter at a pizzeria he used to go to when he was younger. It doesn’t pay very well, and tips were practically his only source of income, but it was a _job._ He needed money and if it involved working in food service at least he would be spending time around something he loves. He’s hoping to be promoted to cook in the future, work with the pizzas, but right now he’s happy to at least have this one thing.

It’s only on his third day, the day he knows Luke will be back, when he notices Michael at one of the booths. The boy is hanging around some of his other drug friends, all of them laughing as they dump parmesan packets into their mouths as they await their food. It’s not the perfect moment to confront Michael, but Ashton chooses to take it anyway; besides, it wasn’t as if they were particularly busy at the moment.

Michael lights up when he sees Ashton, a grin on his face as he shouts out, “Mr. President! Been a while!”

Ashton puts on a fake smile, the anger inside of him boiling and threatening to come to the surface. “Been working, spending time with my family this summer. I’m assuming you are still up to no good as usual.” He can’t help the snide tone he has in his voice, but it seems to impress Michael as the boy cackles.

“No need to be modest,” Michael shrugs, tossing back another parmesan packet. “Boys and I were just figuring out our expenses to travel to Adelaide.  Going to make some big money out there, living in one big apartment.” His friends all hoot and holler around him, laughing as Ashton simply rolls his eyes at them.

“Taking Calum?” Ashton questions, and it takes everything not to smirk as Michael’s face drops at the mention. _Good._

“You don’t know shit, Irwin,” Michael spits at him, pointing an accusing finger and nearly jabbing Ashton in the stomach. “Keep Calum out of this, and you sure as hell better not tell him about this. It’s not a done deal, you got that?”

It’s almost as if his suspicions had been confirmed, and it _hurts._ He wasn’t close to Calum at all, but the last thing he wanted was for him to fall victim to Michael’s charms and overall dick head personality. Calum was far better than that, and he deserved far better than Michael Clifford. “Leave Calum alone then. You don’t need to bring him down to your level.”

Michael snorts. “I don’t exactly see him _complaining,_ okay? Now fuck off, yeah?” He turns back to his friends, ignoring Ashton’s presence as he continues to speak of their apartment that they will rent out. Ashton feels furious, walking back towards the kitchen in an effort to ignore the urge to sucker punch Michael in front of the entire restaurant.

He wants to text Luke everything, tell him to warn Calum about what he is getting into, but he _can’t._ He knows Calum wouldn’t listen to him, and the odds are that he was already so far down the rabbit hole that there was no way he was going to be rescued anytime soon. All Ashton had to hope for was that Michael wouldn’t get Calum hooked on anything extreme, and even that was wishful thinking on his part.

He gets a text when he clocks off that night, right as he is about to text his mother to come pick him up.

**Luke:** _Out front_

Ashton all but darts out of the restaurant then, looking around wildly for his boyfriend’s car. The feeling of warmth rushing through him the minute he locks eyes with Luke is what pushes him forward, his feet on auto pilot as they dart across the nearly empty parking lot and launching Ashton into the awaiting arms of his boyfriend.

“Told your mom I wanted to surprise you,” Luke whispers in his ear, holding Ashton ever so tightly. “So, um, surprise?”

Ashton laughs, kissing Luke’s cheek before making it to the boy’s lips. His arms are still wrapped around Luke’s neck, pulling the boy down to his level as he mumbles ‘I miss you’ in-between each kiss. The feeling of Luke’s soft, gentle lips against his once more reminds him of just how much he did miss the boy, how awful the entire week had been leading up until this moment. Being wrapped up in Luke’s arms felt right, it felt like he belonged in them.

“This was a nice surprise,” Ashton whispers, pecking Luke’s lips once more. “I’ve missed you, a lot.”

“I have missed you more,” Luke assures him, pulling away to reach for something in the backseat of his car. It’s a wrapped gift, and Ashton can’t help but laugh when he sees it. “I saw this at one of the shops on my trip, I knew I had to get it for you.”

Ashton raises an eyebrow as he opens the gift, a small, white box hidden underneath the wrapping. Inside rests a black, thread bracelet, three charms united onto it that have Ashton blushing deeply. “An L, a heart, and an A? Luke, this is so incredibly cheesy.” He pulls the bracelet from the box, tying it onto his rest before kissing his boyfriend’s nose. The boy scrunches his face at the contact, and Ashton giggles. “I love it. Thank you.”

“I know it is cheesy,” Luke assures him, reaching forward and skimming his thumb over the charms. “I do care about you though, a lot.”

It feels too soon to say those little three words, but Ashton is so damn sure that he feels that way towards Luke. His heart pounding ever so loudly in his chest simply proves that fact. He doesn’t say them aloud, not yet at least. “I care about you too.”

**

If there was one thing that Ashton Irwin failed at, and he prided himself at never failing at anything, it had to be lying. He was completely terrible with covering up the inevitable truth, which is why he had to be so incredibly honest with every single aspect of his life. It was something his mother raised him to be, the very thing that made him everyone’s friend.

Which is why when Luke approached him one day, a mix between angry and panicked, he had to be as honest as possible.

“Michael Clifford is fucking my best friend,” he shouts, falling onto Ashton’s bed in a heap. Ashton’s face reddens, the comic book that has in his hands nearly falling as Luke’s head nestles itself onto Ashton’s legs. “I went over to his house to see him, felt bad for not having hung out with him all summer, and he was _covered_ in hickies. At first I thought he had been attacked or something.”

 _Say something._ “Oh.”

“I mean, I know Calum will blindly follow anyone just about, anyone that could give him the time of day and show him affection? I just, I really thought he could find someone that would treat him the way he should be treated, _not_ like some little fucking rag doll.” He looks up at Ashton, blue eyes clouded as he rolls into Ashton’s stomach. “Tell me it’s alright.”

Ashton clears his throat, running his hand through the long blond locks on Luke’s head gently. He listens as the boy hums into his stomach, and he knows he needs to tell him. He couldn’t keep it all in anymore, especially with how hurt Luke appears to be right at that moment. “I saw them.”

Luke lifts his head up, confused as he stares up at his boyfriend. “You what?”

 _Honest._ “The end of the year party. I saw Michael taking Calum upstairs to the bedrooms, and I am so sorry that I didn’t tell you but I had thought then that Calum was smart enough not to fall for his tricks. I honestly thought that…”

Luke pushes himself up off of Ashton’s lap, his eyes filled with more hurt than anger. Ashton had expected him to be furious with him, calling him out on not being honest from the very start. Hell, he had built himself up to that. Now his heart aches as he sees Luke’s baby blue eyes become watery. “Luke, I wanted to tell you I am so, so sorry…”

 

Luke sniffles, Ashton reaching forward to wipe at the falling tears. “I’m not upset about that. I, I guess I am just upset with myself?” He leans forward, his forehead coming to rest against’ Ashton’s chest as his fingers play with the hem of Ashton’s shirt. “I should have stayed by his side at that party. If I hadn’t ditched him to go look for you, I could have made sure he never came in contact with that fucker.”

 

“Don’t blame yourself,” Ashton instructs, intertwining his hand with Luke’s. “Like you said before, Calum blindly follows. He wears his heart out on his sleeve and doesn’t quite think about the consequences. I promise you, right now, that whatever happens between those two, Calum will come out of it alright.” He lifts Luke’s hand up to his lips, brushing them gently against the knuckles. “For now, just keep an eye on him. Be a friend, reach out.”

 

“I suppose you are right,” Luke sniffs, reaching his head up to kiss Ashton’s jaw. “If it is alright with you, do you mind I stay here for tonight? Right now I just need to clear my head, and whenever I am around you I feel better.”

 

Ashton beams down at him, lifting a finger and placing it underneath Luke’s chin as he whispers, “I would love that.” With that he leans down to press his lips against Luke’s, the two of them losing themselves in each other and allowing all of the worries existing around them to fade away into the background.

**

Summer is drawing closer and closer to a close. School starts up once again in a month, pretty soon Ashton’s whole life will be filled with preparation for graduation, planning his move to the University of Sydney. The excitement is certainly there, but underneath it is the feeling of bittersweet. This summer has been one of the greatest summers of his entire life, one filled with a job he had grown to love and a boy he loves even more. If this was what summer had given him, he could only anticipate just what his final year in high school was bound to bring.

Luke takes him to the beach on one of the warmer days, insisting on a day walking the boardwalk and visiting the various shops along it. The last time Ashton had even been to the beach had been so long ago, back when he was younger and his mother took him and his younger siblings out to the water to burn their abundant amount of energy. Now that they were older, there was no reason to visit the beach it seemed.

Until today.

Ashton is already at the boardwalk when Luke arrives, and what surprises Ashton is that he is not alone. At first glance it appears that a stranger has accompanied Luke, but with closer inspection to the boy Ashton nearly gasps when he realizes just who the person is.

“I told Calum he could join us today, is that alright?” Luke grins, pecking his boyfriend’s lips as a welcome. Ashton’s eyes continue to linger on Calum, probably longer than they should be, but he cannot help it. The boy doesn’t even look like himself anymore, rather a shell of what could possibly be the old Calum. This Calum looked as if the life had been drained from him.

“Yeah, of course,” Ashton responds, taking Luke’s hand and allowing the boy to take them towards the sand. As much as he wants to focus on walking the beach with his boyfriend, he still cannot help but turn back towards Calum. His sunken face, how his dark skin somehow looks so incredibly _pale._ Dark bruises are almost tattooed onto his skin it seems. Ashton began to wonder if Michael was some kind of _vampire._ “How is Cal?”

Luke sighs, reaching down to pick up a small seashell and placing it in Ashton’s hand. “He’s worse. This is only the third time I have seen him all summer, and each time I have seen him his appearance has grown even more terrible.” He motions towards the seashell in Ashton’s hand with a soft smile. “Figured we could gather some seashells and make bracelets, like you said Lauren likes.”

“She would appreciate that,” Ashton says softly, placing the seashell into his pocket. “I got a letter in the mail about my roommate for University. Sounds like a total loser if you ask me, but I guess I don’t have much of a choice when it comes down to it if I like him or not.” His fingers lace with Luke’s, pressing a teasing kiss into the boy’s cheek as he pouts. “I can’t believe we get to be roommates. You better make a good roommate.”

“I am an _excellent_ roommate,” Luke defends, reaching down for a sand dollar. “This can’t be made into a bracelet but at least it’s pretty?” Ashton snorts at the boy’s words, reaching forward and pressing his lips against Luke’s.

“I still find it incredibly beautiful,” he promises as he allows the sand dollar to join the seashell in his pocket. The rest of their trip on the beach continues this way; finding multiple sand dollars and shells, each time Ashton rewarding his boyfriend with a gentle kiss to his lips. It erases all the worries that had existed in his mind about the future, about university quickly approaching and the prospect of living with his boyfriend for the next four years it seemed. It reminded Ashton that everything was simply perfect, even if they were currently in their own little world.

When he turns around, about to ask Calum if he would like to stop and get something to eat, he realizes that the boy has slipped away without them noticing.

**

Luke calls him the last day of summer, apologizing profusely into the speaker before Ashton can even get out a hello.

“Michael fucking _left,”_ Luke tells him, and Ashton sighs. He knew this was going to happen eventually, that Michael’s words that day in the pizzeria were true. It was ridiculous to think that Michael would stay for someone in the condition he was in. “I need to be here for Calum, I’m going to have to cancel our date for today. I’m so sorry, Ash, but he _needs_ me right now.”

“Tell him I am here too,” Ashton responds, biting down on his lower lip. He feels guilty, guilty he even allowed Calum to come in contact with Michael at all. It was the stupidest thing he could have done. “However long it takes for him to be happy, Luke, you be with him. If he wants me there, I will be there as well.”

It wasn’t the moment Ashton had exactly been dreaming about, nor was it how the TV shows and movies foretold it to be like. Instead it happened in a moment of a friend’s pain and sorrow, a moment that Ashton realized just how lucky he was to have some like Luke to care for and have those feelings reciprocated right back.

“I love you,” Luke says, and in that moment, it feels perfect.

“I love you too,” Ashton says right back, without even a moment’s hesitation. “Text me how he’s doing later, yeah? If he needs anything.”

The phone call ends, and Ashton wonders just what the future looked like now. Things wouldn’t simply carry on, that was for certain. What happened with Michael and Calum happened, and he was part to blame for the entire madness it ended up becoming. Now they had Year 12 ahead of them, and Ashton was so sure that it was bound to be a roller coaster.

All that he could hope for was a happy ending, for all of them.

**Author's Note:**

> talk to me at lucasashtons on tumblr :)


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